The Agreement Between the Florida Government and the Seminole Tribe Terminated
By Space Coast Daily // February 17, 2023
Florida residents definitely won’t be able to bet on sports or play online casinos legally anytime soon.
Despite an agreement with the Seminole Tribe that was made back in 2021 that was supposed to get around the gambling prohibition amendments, gambling is still illegal in the state. Therefore, many gambling enthusiasts continue to play in other states or illegal casinos with bonuses on games from well-known providers that have been regularly updated. Users are not confused by the lack of license, so foreign casinos give bonuses to new players.
At the moment, there is a court case for which betting in Florida has become completely illegal. In December, the appeals court heard arguments from the parties and should soon issue a decision on the case.
Recall that in April 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe entered into an agreement that would make gambling completely legal on tribal lands for the next 30 years.
In exchange, the state treasury was to receive $2.5 billion over the first five years and then another $20 billion over the remaining 25 years.
The U.S. Department of the Interior read the agreement and did not oppose it, but later things did not go according to plan.
The owners of the non-tribal gambling establishments, including Magic City Casino, sued in federal court to stop the agreement. In their view, the agreement violates the law, which states that state-sanctioned gambling on tribal lands must not extend beyond their borders.
As a result, the court is currently trying to sort out whether the deal was legal. Many experts believe that the judge may leave the agreement intact, in which case sports betting would become legal again in Florida. But others are in no hurry to make positive predictions because the agreement could also be overturned.
In this case, the state, for many years to come, will not be allowed to legally play casinos (including online) and use the services of bookmakers.
According to Daniel Wallach, a lawyer who specializes in gaming law, the decision could be made within the first 2-3 months of 2023 unless there are interesting new developments related to the treaty between the Florida government and the Seminole tribe.
All we have to do is wait for the outcome of the case and accept it, since the decision of the court, in this case, can no longer be reversed.
